Creeper



June 30, 1942. E. w. HOLMES CREEPER Filed May 29, 1940 1N, N JHilllllllllr H J Patented June 30, 1942 CREEPER Ernest W. Holmes,Chattanooga, Tenn., assignor to Ernest Holmes Company,

Chattanooga,

Tenn., a corporation of Tennessee Application May 29, 1940, Serial No.337,915

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to creepers of the well known typeprovided with casters for movement over the floor of a garage -or thelike and on which a workman may lie and ride beneath an automobile forinspection, repair, servicing or other purposes.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a creeper of this typewhich is of a composite wood and metal construction the parts of whichare secured together into a solid permanent unit which is capable ofwithstanding very rough usage.

Another object is to provide extension brackets of novel form forattaching the casters to the creeper whereby the casters are locatedbeyond the ends of the body of the creeper and suspend the creeper at aminimum height above the'floor, and afford greater stability andflexibility than when located beneath the creeper, as heretofore.

Another object is to provide extension brackets for the casters whichreinforce the ends of the side members of the creeper to which they areriveted or otherwise securely attached.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means forremovably attaching the casters to the brackets wherebyreplacement ofone or more of the casters, if necessary, may be accomplished quicklyand with facility.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvementsand combinations and arrangements of parts, a1l as will be hereinafterdescribed in detail, the features of novelty being pointed outparticularly in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of a creeper constructed in accordance withth present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical section, taken on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is an end view of the creeper;

Figure 4 is a vertical section, on an enlarged scale, takenlongitudinally through one of the caster 'brackets and the adjacent endof the creeperto which it is attached;

Figure 5 is a vertical section, taken on the line 5-5 in Fig. 4; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary section, on an enlarged scale, taken on theline 6--B in Fig. 1.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in theseveral views.

The creeper, in its preferred embodiment and as shown in theaccompanying drawing, comprises a body composed essentially of a pair ofside members I, a suitable number of cross strips 2 connecting them, anda platform 3, and supporting caster brackets 4 and casters 5.

The side members I are each composed of strips of wood, laminated woodas shown, in which the grain in all of the laminations extendslengthwise of the strip, being preferable when flexibility greater thanthat afforded by a solid wooden strip is desired. The cross strips 2 arecomposed of thin flat spring steel, and they are fixed at their endsdirectly to the lower sides of the side mem bers l preferably by rivets6 which pass through the side members and, when laminated side membersare used, these rivets serve to firmly secure the laminations together.The platform 3, which provides a bed on which the body of the workmanmay rest in a reclining position, is composed of a thin flat sheet ofsuitable flexible material, preferably ordinary ply-wood as shown, itresting on the cross strips and projecting upwardly between the sidemembers so that it is accommodated between them, and being firmly fixedto the cross strips preferably by rivets I. The usual head rest 8employed in creepers of this type is mounted on one end of the platform.A composite wood and metal body structure is thus provided in which theparts are riveted or otherwise firmly secured together to form a solidpermanent unit which possesses sufiicient flexibility, bothlongitudinally and transversely, to enable it to withstand rough usage.

1 The present invention provides novel means for attaching the castersto the creeper whereby the creeper may occupy a minimum height above thefloor level and thus enable the workman lying on the creeper to easilypass beneath the running boards and other low hanging parts of modernautomobiles. According to the present invention, the casters are notmounted beneath the creeper as heretofore, but are carried by thebrackets 4 which extend beyond the ends of the creeper, thus enablingthe creeper, including its side members, to be suspended or underslungfrom the casters.

These brackets, which are composed of steel or other suitable metal andare preferably pressed into shape from sheet metal of sufilcientthickness, each comprise a shank at one end which is of channel shape incross section, providing a pair of flanges 9 which are spaced apart adistance substantially equal to the width of the side member I so thatthese flanges may fit closely against the sides of the respective sidemember, and an intermediate portion In to fit on the top of therespective side member and from which the side member is hung, the shankbeing rigidly fixed to the top of the end of the respective side memberI by rivets 6 which secure the adjacent cross strip 2 and bysupplemental rivets 6* all of which extend vertically through the sidemember and the overlying portion I0 of the bracket, the flanges 9 of thebracket embracing the sides of the side member and thereby reinforcingit and protecting it against splitting.

The rest of the bracket extends from its shank endwise beyond the end ofthe respective side member and provides a socket to receive the caster.This portion of the bracket comprises a flat horizontally extendingportion II which is ofiset upwardly from the top II] of the shank by thebend I2 in the top of the bracket, the flanges 9 at the sides of theshank continuing along the sides of the portion II although diminishingin depth, and thus increasing the rigidity of the connection between theextended portion I I and the shank of the bracket. The

extended portion II of the bracket is adapted to receive beneath it andbetween the side flanges 9 the attaching plate I3 of the caster, thisattaching plate being swivelled in the usual manner to the rollercarrying yoke I4 of the caster.

Novel means is provided for removably securing the casters to theirrespective brackets whereby they may be easily and quickly replaced whennecessary. due to breakage or other causes, Preferably and as shown,such means is provided by bending the terminal end of the fiat portion II downwardly and then under said portion so as to form an underlyinghook-like locking flange I5 in which one edge of the caster attachingplate I3 may be engaged, and by providing a bolt I6 which extendsdownwardly through the portion II of the bracket adjacent to but beyondthe opposite edge of the plate I3 and carries a locking plate I! adaptedto be drawn up against the underside of the caster attaching plate I3 bytightening of said bolt. By this arrangement,

each caster may be applied to its respective bracket by inserting oneedge of the plate I3 above the locking flange I5, while the bolt I6 andplate I? are removed, and swinging its opposite edge against the portionII of the bracket, and

caster attaching plate I3, and the other opposite edges of the latterare confined between the depending flanges 9 at the sides of the bracketportion II, each caster will be securely although detachably held in itsbracket.

The casters thus mounted beneath the bracket portions II which areoffset above the tops of the side members I and extend beyond the endsthereof, enable the side members, suspended or hung below the brackets,and consequently the rest of the creeper, to be supported by the castersas low to the floor level as may be desired, irrespective of the size ofthe casters used, by providing the desired amount of offset in thebrackets. The location of the casters beyond the ends of the body of thecreeper, instead of beneath it as heretofore, also increases thedistance between the casters, thereby increasing the flexibility andstability of the creeper.

The spring steel cross strips on which the platform rests reinforce thisplatform, especially when made of ply-wood, and assist it in returningto its normal flat position after it has been subjected to unduepressure or bending strain. As these cross strips are thin and aresecured directly to the lower sides of the side members, they do notproject appreciably below the side members to form obstructions tostrike the floor during the movement of the creeper thereover, althoughthe side members are hung or suspended at a low level by the offsetextension brackets.

I claim as my invention:

1. A creeper comprising a body portion having side members, bracketseach having a shank of channel form fixed to the top of the respectiveside member and providing flanges extending downwardly and embracing thesides thereof. each bracket having an extension proceeding endwise fromand offset upwardly above said shank and extending beyond an end of therespective side member, and casters carried beneath said upwardly offsetextensions of the brackets.

2. A creeper comprising a body portion having flexible side memberscomposed of strips of 1aminated wood, brackets secured to the ends ofthe side members and having extensions projecting beyond the respectiveends of the side members and offset upwardly therefrom, each brackethaving a shank secured to the top of the respective side member bysecuring devices which extend through and secure together thelaminations thereof, and casters carried beneath the upwardly offsetextensions of the brackets.

3. A creeper comprising a body portion, brackets secured thereto andhaving portions extended beyond the ends thereof, the extended portionof each bracket having a hook-like flange projecting beneath it andhaving a bolt provided with a locking plate located opposite to saidflange, and a caster for each bracket having an attaching plate one edgeof which is pivotally engageable with said flange to bring its oppositeedge into clamping relation with said locking plate.

ERNEST W. HOLNIES.

